Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05DJIBOUTI360
2005-04-12 13:27:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Djibouti
Cable title:  

ELECTION DAY IN DJIBOUTI: CALM, WITH SOME PROTESTS

Tags:  PGOV PREL SCUL PHUM DJ PDEM 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DJIBOUTI 000360 

SIPDIS

LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL SCUL PHUM DJ PDEM
SUBJECT: ELECTION DAY IN DJIBOUTI: CALM, WITH SOME PROTESTS

Classified By: Pol/Econ Erinn C. Reed for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DJIBOUTI 000360

SIPDIS

LONDON, PARIS FOR AFRICA WATCHER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/10/2015
TAGS: PGOV PREL SCUL PHUM DJ PDEM
SUBJECT: ELECTION DAY IN DJIBOUTI: CALM, WITH SOME PROTESTS

Classified By: Pol/Econ Erinn C. Reed for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: With the help of PD, Consular and GSO
Officers, the Pol/Econ section visited 11 polling stations
throughout Djibouti City to gauge the mood on election day.
Embassy Officers (EMBOFFs) divided into three teams, taking
responsibility for different areas of the city. Consensus
showed that polling sites were relatively calm. Only one
major protest took place during the day. International news
services reported use of force by police, including tear gas,
in one late afternoon protest. EMBOFFs observed only a few
persons being turned away from the polls, mostly for lack of
proper identification. Many of the polling stations observed
were not strictly controlled and were disorganized in their
directions to voters. There appeared to be a general lack of
instruction to and information for voters. Election results
were announced Saturday, April 9th. According to the Ministry
of Interior, 78.9 percent of registered voters turned out and
President Ismael Omar Guelleh, the sole candidate, received
100 percent of votes cast. Ministry of Interior noted
approximately 5 percent of votes cast were null and void due
to damaged ballots. End Summary.

MOOD IN THE CITY
--------------

2. (C) As is usual for Djibouti City on a Friday, the streets
were empty. Few people were milling around and fewer shops
were open. Closer to polling stations there was more activity
in the streets with a steady trickle of voters heading to the
polls. During the hours EMBOFFs were out and about in the
morning, there were two gatherings in the streets. All
protests observed were calm and orderly. The largest protest
observed was in front of the opposition headquarters, which
is in one of the poor neighborhoods of the city. This protest
was reported as being between 200 and 500 people. EMBOFFs
estimated by visual count that it was closer to 200-300
persons. News services reported that when police arrived to
disperse the demonstration several protesters began throwing
rocks and forced the police to fire tear gas into the crowd.

Several other protests occurred in neighborhoods which
habitually side with the opposition. EMBOFFs did not visit
any polling stations outside the capital city and are not
able to comment on the mood of the electorate in other areas.

POLLING STATIONS
--------------

3. (C) EMBOFFs visited 11 polling stations throughout the
city the morning of election day. Polling stations selected
were in both affluent areas and poor neighborhoods in very
populous areas. Most polling stations were located in
neighborhood schools with several bureaus per school.
Registered voters were assigned to a specific polling station
and within that station to a specific bureau by alphabetical
segments. Each polling bureau had approximately 600-700
voters assigned to it. At the time of EMBOFFs' visits,
approximately 10 to 20 percent of each bureau's list had
voted. In all of the polling stations, security was provided
by a number of uniformed police. At many stations the only
police presence was at the gate to the school, where
uniformed officers screened for identification and voter
cards. However, two polling stations visited had much greater
police presence. In the neighborhood of Arhiba, an area with
strong Afar and opposition numbers, the school used for
polling stations had two busses full of police in riot gear
positioned directly outside the entrance. At Ecole de la Zone
Portuaire Sud, the polling station for the affluent and
typically diplomatic neighborhood, there were uniformed
police stationed not only at the entrance to the school but
two at each doorway to polling bureaus.


4. (C) In most polling stations visited, there were persons
"stumping" for the candidate and wearing pro-Guelleh
paraphernalia inside the voting compound. Several voting
bureau officials were even dressed in the green Guelleh
campaign shirts and hats. One team of Embassy Officers ran
into the Minister of Agriculture inside the Ecole d'Arhiba
polling station actively campaigning for Guelleh. Also
observed at Ecole d'Arhiba was a line of Guelleh supporters
dressed in campaign T-shirts, forming a virtual wall of green
that voters had to push through inside the school compound to
get to the voting bureaus.


5. (C) The voting procedure was very simple, but still posed
problems for some individuals. Upon entering a voting office,
voters showed their national identity card and electoral card
to a bureau official who would check the register and have
voters sign or fingerprint next to their name. Voters could
also pick up their electoral card at the voting office if
they had not already, or they could show their "ordonnance"
from the Ministry of the Interior, which allowed them to vote
if they had not met the registration deadline. After
identification and voter eligibility was established, voting
officials handed the individual a small manila envelope and a
green ballot (Note: Green is Guelleh's color chosen for this
year's ballot. If there were other candidates, the system has
been to have different colored ballots for each candidate.
The voter would simply put the color of his choice in the
envelope and discard the rest. In the 1993 election, there
was apparently only one candidate and there was a ballot for
the candidate and a white candidate for abstention votes.
There were no blank ballots this election. End Note.). The
voter then went into a small booth with plywood covering the
top half of the sides and a black curtain covering
three-quarters of the length in front. There was a shelf
inside the booth, but nothing else. The voter then folded the
ballot to put inside the envelope and took it outside to the
clear ballot box to place it inside. Once the ballot was
cast, voting officials marked the electoral card and placed
the voter's finger in indelible purple ink. Some of the
voting booths were poorly constructed and leaned to a
considerable degree, leaving a clear view through the sides
of the curtain. In one office visited, voting was closed for
a period to allow reconstruction of the booth after it fell
down completely. Another voting booth's legs were being
propped up by rocks to keep it from falling.


6. (C) There were several problems observed by EMBOFFs during
their visits to polling stations. None of the envelopes had
seals, so once voters cast their ballots into the clear
ballot box the open flap would reveal the green ballot
inside. Additionally, voters were supposed to have three
options: Casting a whole, green ballot for Guelleh; tearing
the ballot in half or to pieces (thus nullifying the vote)
and placing it in the envelope before casting it; or simply
throwing the ballot away and putting an empty envelope in the
box. However there were no trash cans in the voting booths
and one could not hide the ballot in his or her hand because
of the need to fingerprint with indelible ink. It would have
been impossible for a person to throw away the green Guelleh
ballot without everyone in the office knowing. Furthermore,
if a person put an empty, unsealed envelope into the clear
box, everyone would be able to see that person voted against
Guelleh. Poloff asked one voting office president if
officials explained to each voter the options for casting a
vote. He responded they only explained to those that didn't
already know. There were many people that EMBOFF observed
that were confused about the process for casting ballots. One
elderly man was observed going first into one side of the
voting booth, then the other and finally coming out to hand
his ballot directly to the office president saying "I didn't
see anyone to give it to, so you have to take it." Another
person was observed wandering about outside the voting office
with their ballot not knowing where to go or what to do. Many
Embassy FSNs commented that some registered voters were
completely uninformed as to where they were supposed to go to
vote. At one station, a man was observed going from one
office to the next asking the officials "check your list, am
I on it?"


COMMENT
--------------

7. (C) Comment: While EMBOFFs were only out during the
morning, news reports indicate the situation continued to be
about the same all day. Bureau hours were extended by one
hour, allowing stations to close at 7pm rather than 6pm. Each
team of Embassy officers reported that there were no real
problems with them visiting polling stations. One team
encountered a fairly high-level Djiboutian official, who
commented "why should we let you visit the offices after the
U.S. had decided the elections were not worth having
observers come to?" EmbOff reported this comment perhaps was
made in jest, because this official did not cause any trouble
for them after making his opinion heard. Unsubstantiated
rumors in town indicate that some voting offices were not
very strict on verifying identity. Agence France Press
reported allegations of vote-buying in the town of Arta,
where residents were reportedly told anyone casting a ballot
would receive 4 pounds of rice and a can of oil. Post has not
heard anything to corroborate this story.


8. (C) Comment cont. Government news sources indicated
turnout was 78.9 percent of registered voters. Opposition
numbers claim 48 percent of registered voters came to the
polls. Using the numbers cited by the government, if 198,800
people were registered to vote, approximately 156,853
actually voted. La Nation, the Government-run newspaper,
reported April 11th that roughly 5 percent of the votes cast
were nullified. If government estimates on nullified ballots
are correct, then approximately 9,940 votes were null. It is
impossible to determine, due to the differing opinions
offered by voting officials, whether this 5 percent of the
electorate chose not to vote for Guelleh or merely did not
understand what to do. Rumors also indicated the co-director
of the opposition journal Realite was injured when jumping
out a second-story window when fleeing from the police
breaking up the protest.


9. (C) The week prior to elections, ConOff was told by an
Embassy Djibouti LES that she had been denied the right to
register to vote for this election. According to the LES,
registration officials told her she was ineligible to
register because she had spent extensive time in the U.S in
the past. She told ConOff that many who had ties to Western
countries were being denied voting and registration
privileges, including all dual citizens. The voter
registration official also reportedly told the LES that votes
at Djiboutian embassies abroad would be disregarded. This LES
also reported that she had been unofficially warned to not
speak of her disenfranchisement. She was told there were
"government informers everywhere" and she could get "in
trouble" if she talked about it. Post has not heard other
stories of such denials and cannot verify the allegations.
However, the LES is a credible and trusted Embassy employee,
whose word is respected by both her American and Djiboutian
co-workers. Post notes there are no restrictions in the
electoral law placed on dual nationals or citizens who have
been outside Djibouti for long periods of time. La Nation
reported that 2500 registered overseas voters cast ballots in
Djiboutian Embassies abroad. Post has not been able to
confirm whether these votes were counted or not.


9. (C) Comment cont. Post's major concern after watching the
election first-hand is the lack of information and options
given to voters. The fact that there was no blank ballot, or
any real confidential way to vote is the most troubling
observation of the day. Post would be more comfortable with
the voting procedures had there been an option to place a
"protest vote" that were clearly explained to voters at the
poll. Post is also concerned that turnout of registered
voters (approximately 157,000 voted out of 199,000
registered) translates into only roughly 40 percent of the
country's total population (using the estimated population of
650,000),which does not give Guelleh a majority of the
country's support. End Comment.
RAGSDALE